Birthday
by Insidiae
Summary: One by one, everyone grows up a year at a time. A series of drabbles centered around seven of the rookie nine. Genfic. King of all angst Sasuke added, wondering about his family.
1. Chapter 1

Um… Hey. Insidiae here (you can just call me Diae). Hm… Well this story basically goes through seven of the rookie nine's life, one person at a time, one year at a time. Starts of mad angsty, then goes happy, and then ends off on sort of neutral ground.

Comments much appreciated!

SPOILERS LIKE WHOA FOR THE JAPANESE ANIME, MAKING UP OF UNEXPLAINED CANON EVENTS, AND GENERALLY TAKING GREAT LIBERTIES WITH LOGIC.

Disclaimer: All Naruto characters and themes are the property of Kishimoto Masashi.

ONWARDS!

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NAME: UZUMAKI NARUTO

BIRTHDAY: DAY OF BIRTH

The monster was sweeping the village. So many were dead already, and most of them were ANBU. If the Special Ops couldn't do anything, then….

The Yondaime's heart ached. For all his acclaim and perceived skill as a leader, as a fighter, he couldn't even save Konoha, his own village, his own people. His cherished ones. All he could do was watch as his own squads told him to stay back for his safety (wasn't he supposed the be the strongest in Konoha?), then charge in only to be burned or trampled by the Kyuubi. He knew he had to do something, but…. But….

But it was the Kyuubi no Kitsune, damnit! The Demon King of legends! The other bijuu couldn't beat him, so what chance did this village, full of pathetic mortals, have?

_WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!_

He heard it. Even over the sounds of people screaming and mourning, of fires blazing and buildings crumbling, the blond man heard the child's cry. And, while he could do nothing to stop the beast destroying his home, he was still determined to help, somehow. He was the Hokage, damnit! The leader of the fire country! And if he couldn't even save a child….

He made his way to the source of the sound, climbing over jagged chunks of concrete and shattered glass windows. He found the baby trapped beneath a broken water pipe, crying as the water soaked his skin and made him shiver.

The Fourth freed the naked child from the metal and picked him up, cooing to him softly. He faintly realized that despite being washed off by the water pipe, the boy was partially covered in blood and other bodily fluids that came from childbirth.

A newborn! But the mother was nowhere to be seen…. Probably dead, the Yondaime thought as his heart shook.

He looked at the baby again. The infant had rested his head against the blonde's shoulder, calmed down by his soft sounds and caresses. A newborn. Gods, such a pure thing. And to be born in such evil. If only, the Hokage thought faintly, his pureness could neutralize the horror of the Kyuu-

He looked back up at the fox (easily seen towering hundreds of feet over the village), and then back to the boy again. He repeated the movement a few times, before deciding that he could indeed do something for his village. Though….

"I'm so sorry," he said, giving the newborn a sad look. "Please forgive me. If the village is anything like I know it is, they will cherish you for your heroism tonight."

Of course, the boy had no idea what the Fourth was talking about, and was perfectly content resting against his (warm, oh so incredibly warm, the feeling of someone who cherishes you) chest, oblivious to the suffering around him. And the Yondaime marched up to the beast, the Kyuubi, the King (for he truly was a king, a ruler, so regal!), and faced him dead on, despite the protests of his (few remaining) ANBU. He looked the great demon right in the eye.

"I may not be able to beat you, but I will stop you."

He held the child in the crook of his arms as his fingers flew through seals and there was chaos and fire and screaming and darkness and power and he was drowning in the abyss of the noise and the suffering.

And there was silence.

No one really knew what happened, exactly, just that suddenly, the nine-tails was gone, and the blond man who had guarded Konoha so dearly lay dying, next to a naked baby.

And the child became cursed. Because the Hokage was wrong. Because the people of Konohagakure would never see the boy as a savior, but as a monster.

And the Fourth used each of his last breaths to murmur his sad apologies to the blue-eyed kid, up to the moment he died.

And a baby, later named Uzumaki for the spiraling black ink upon his stomach, cried.

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So what did you think, huh? Please review!

-Insidiae-


	2. Chapter 2

NAME: HARUNO SAKURA

BIRTHDAY: FIRST

The Harunos were a happy family. And this was a very happy day, indeed. Their only child's first birthday, how precious!

Her mother was positively doting, taking all sorts of pictures of her darling daughter in her new pink dress (which matched so beautifully with the little tufts of hair peeking out from underneath her birthday cap) and cooing over absolutely adorable little Sakura was.

Sakura's father was the one who was actually holding her, as he chatted on the phone with the Yamanaka mister about coming over to celebrate the joyous event (since Ino was just Sakura's age!). He distractedly swung Sakura around as he talked, earning an angry hiss from his wife.

"Be careful! Sakura's bones aren't fully developed yet! If you bump her now, it may deform her pretty face!"

He rolled his eyes at his incredibly shallow wife, but complied, setting his daughter on the floor, where she happily crawled towards the new 100-piece puzzle she had gotten as a present (and had already started to put together, such a smart girl!). Her father was engaged with the phone and her mother the cake that was baking, so neither of them were really paying that much attention to their daughter. This of course, was why both of them jumped at the ear-splitting shriek that the little girl emitted.

Her mother ran over to the pink-haired infant, and noticed an angry red mark on her forehead, about the right size and shape of the table edge Sakura was sitting next to sobbing.

And it was then that the Haruno misses noticed her daughter's forehead look much wider than before, much more…. Unusual, (deformed!), that she joined in with Sakura, sobbing.

Perhaps it was because her mother was so shallow, so concerned over something as preposterous as a forehead, that Sakura became such a self-conscious girl.

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Um, yeah. There's no canon evidence suggesting this happened. In fact, there's scientific evidence against it. Yay for taking liberties!

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, thanks so much to my two reviewers so far. Your comments mean a lot to me.

This time, it's Kiba. With any luck, this will be as short as they get.

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NAME: INUZUKA KIBA 

BIRTHDAY: SECOND

Kiba, even when he was little, spent his days surrounding himself with dogs or dog-themed paraphernalia. It was pretty easy for him, considering his family's history. Probably his favorite was a little white stuffed dog he had, which in two short years had had it's fake fur matted and dirtied by the boy.

It was Kiba's second birthday, though he didn't really realize it. Everyday went by in a sludge of canines and their stories. The summer days were hot and heavy, and made the toddler lazier than his characteristic self. Also helping that may have been the quiet of the house.

After all, he was the only one home.

His parents were out of the village, on a mission. It couldn't be helped really, and though it pained them to miss their son's birthday, they were both too crass and rough to pass up an A class job.

His older sister had left early that morning, off to the animal hospital, where she junior volunteered and trained. She left Kiba with a kiss on his forehead, quite confident that the family dogs would keep him safe.

And so, Kiba was left alone on the day he turned two. Perhaps if he were older, if he realized what day it was, he would've cared. But Kiba was two, and Kiba was in the sludge of summer heat, and so he passed through his birthday the same as the days before it, letting the summer temperature lull him to sleep as he sucked his thumb and clutched his little, white stuffed dog close to his chest.

* * *

Once again, very loose canon evidence backing this up, based solely the almost non-existant exposure I've had to Kiba's parents, the fact that his sister is a vet, and the genuine knowledge that Kiba's birthday is in July (I forget the specific date right now). C'est la vie, I suppose.

Much love!

-Insidiae-


	4. Chapter 4

Remember those spoilers I was talking about? Yeah, this would be what I meant. If you haven't seen the fight between Neji and Naruto in the Chuunin exams, or don't know angsty Hyuuga family history, then this schapter will make no sense.

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NAME: HYUUGA HINATA

BIRTHDAY: THIRD

The third birthday of anyone in either Hyuuga was a big event, seeing as it was tradition, and the Hyuugas were nothing if not traditional. However, when the heir to the main house turned three, _well_…

Maids scurried everywhere, not realizing that the reason for their bustling was currently scrambling between their legs, trying to avoid be crushed by her family's servants. The birthday girl was so hidden by the crowd of people, that it was impossible to see her.

"Hinata."

Unless of course you had the Byakugan. Funny how the Hyuugas do that.

Hinata felt so relieved to hear her father's strong and commanding voice, crystal clear over all of the noise. She quickly ambled over to him, as to not cause him any disapproval.

"Yes, Otou-sama?"

"Come with me."

She hustled after as Hiashi led the way to the main house courtyard, where she saw a man who looked just like her father, and a boy about her age, long black tied back into a ponytail. She could faintly hear the noise of what must have been a great celebration for the cheers to reach back to the secluded Hyuuga household. In her mind, she fantasized they were celebrating her birthday, but Hinata was a smart girl, and not so foolish, and realized that if her father would barely give her the time of day, then no one would.

"Hizashi," her father greeted his counterpart.

"Hiashi."

The two talked in large, brisk words as Hinata glanced shyly at the boy who obviously shared her kekkei genkai. Half hidden behind her father's back, white eyes stared into white eyes, and the boy smiled, making Hinata both blush and smile, quite happily, in return. He whispered something to Hizashi, who responded with something between a fake smile and disgruntled frown. They boy, even for the genius he would one day become, failed to notice his father's irritation.

"Hizashi," Hinata's father spoke again. "I'll be needing to borrow Neji now."

The color drained from Hizashi's face, and his Adam's Apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. His knuckles turned white, gripping his son's shoulder painfully, to which he earned a concern look from Neji.

"Chichiue?"

Hizashi ignored his son, shutting his eyes tight, before opening them again, not bothering to hide the anger that burned in their impossible(?) whiteness.

"Of course."

As child was transferred from one twin to the other, Hinata grinned brightly. She would be able to spend more time with this boy, this Neji, who had smiled so kindly at her on her birthday.

Hiashi led Neji away by the shoulder, and Hinata happily trailed behind.

"Hinata, go to your mother."

She paused in her tracks. "Otou-sama?"

"Go to your mother, Hinata. Your cousin and I have business to attend to. I will not repeat myself again, is that understood?"

Hinata nodded her head quickly and ran off, wary of angering her temperamental father, despite how much she really wanted to spend more time with Neji. She was sure there would be more opportunities later. She didn't notice the glare from her uncle burning into her back as she re-entered the house.

Her mother was waiting for her in the kitchen. She smiled sweetly at her daughter, and offered her a cinnamon roll. Hinata gay a shout of happiness at the sight of her favorite treat and dug in, after many thank yous to her mother and a quick 'itadakimasu!'

She was so happy with her cinnamon roll, until she heard a blood-curdling scream that made her heart jump. It sounded like someone was being murdered. It sounded like Neji.

Her head shot up in alarm, panic only rising when her mother failed to turn from her cooking, and servants failed to run to the source to see what was wrong.

"Okaa-sama! Didn't you hear that?"

"Hm?"

"That scream! It sounded like Neji-oniI-san! We have to-"

"Don't worry yourself about it, Hinata. Nothing is wrong."

Hinata stared at her mother, dumbfounded.

The rest of the day went by, uneventfully. Soon it was night, and Hinata, after being dutifully ignored by her family, was sent to bed. It was a shame the three-year-old was restless. She couldn't fall asleep, not with that scream still echoing in her mind.

However, Hinata, especially as a young child, was not built to be an insomniac, and sleep eventually overtook her small (weak, so very, very weak) body.

She was kidnapped that night. Years later, she would still be hazy on the details (until she would find out from Neji's rather surprising public revealing of Hyuuga history), but all she knew back then, was that after that, she never saw her uncle again, and the only looks Neji would spare her were angry glares from underneath the bandages that never seemed to leave his forehead from that point on.

The next day, at this realization, Hinata sobbed.

There would be no more kind smiles from him on her birthday.

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Cinnamon rolls really are Hinata's favorite food.

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	5. Chapter 5

Ah! Three errors in the last chapter! And there's that little evil voice in the back of my mind telling me this is why I need to proofread. Ah well. Today, it's Ino's turn. So... little...canon...basis...

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NAME: YAMANAKA INO

BIRTHDAY: FOURTH

A giggly blonde floated around her parents' shop, looking at the pretty arrangements of roses and lilies, geraniums and forget-me-nots. For her birthday, Ino had been allowed to help out at the shop.

In the background, she could hear her father, Inoichi, talk to his old friends, Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza, who both just happened to have a son her age. They seem excited (well, at least Choza and Inoichi did, Shikaku was impassive as usual) at the prospect of reuniting the Ino-Shika-Cho combination with their children.

Chouji, for his part, hid behind his father's back, clutching onto long red hair, already self-conscious of his weight at the ripe old age of four. Shikamaru glanced over at Ino almost inquisitively, as if trying to see what made her tick. The little girl shrugged it off, not even thinking that that kind of advanced thinking was strange. After all, Konoha is a ninja village. Strange there is normal.

The day had been a slow business day, as most late September days were. They closed early, using the flower shop as a party center. Ino's mother returned to the shop not with cake, but with Ino's favorite, pudding (she would've gotten small tomatoes as well, but the other children, she heard, were not so fond of them), and all seven (children and parents) headed to the back room where a table was set up for the occasion. They sang her happy birthday and gave her all sorts of gifts, mostly money and gift certificates for the shop-happy child.

The Nara and Akimichi families left, and Ino spent the next hour listening to the stories she loved so much from her mother. Her favorite, of course, was the tales of the mighty, intelligent, and slightly foolish gambler konuichi, Tsunade. One of the three great shinobi. Ino knew much about Tsunade, and one of the others, Jiraiya, but for some reason beyond her understanding, Ino's mother never told the adventures of the third, Oro-something or other.

By the time the stories were finished, it was getting late, and her mother suggested Ino check on the lone cactus that she was growing out back in a greenhouse. The blonde girl was so very proud of her prickly plant. Her tiny hands had planted the seed herself, and had tended to it carefully. A cactus wasn't a pretty plant, certainly, but Ino knew better. She saw the cactus as what it meant in the meaning of flowers (a language she was well versed in), endurance.

And besides, every good florist knows that once a cactus blooms, it has the prettiest flowers and sweetest fruit of any vegetation on the planet.

This is why Ino loved the cactus. She felt it represented her best of any flower, since she was outgoing and strong and had a rough and tough exterior (and interior at many times), and yet was still a girl and still had the ability to be pretty and delicate.

And she could endure. Yes, that was the perfect was to describe her. Just like the spiked flora, she could endure the harshest conditions.

She happily trotted to the back of the greenhouse, to a bright corner where her plant lay. She ran over to it, caught a glimpse of her precious plant….

…And stopped.

Her arms fell lifelessly to her sides and her eyes held a similar look.

Her cactus, her gorgeous green bounty of the earth, was wilted and brown.

The blonde let out a wail. Ino happened to have quite a pair of lungs, even at that age (which she would later use quite a lot, especially to her best friend/rival and lazy-ass teammate), and her parents ran out of the shop which doubled as their house to their screaming daughter. They saw the object of her sadness, and tried to console her, telling her they would plant a new cactus, but for all their efforts, they didn't get the point.

If a cactus couldn't endure, then how would Ino ever be able to?

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This chapter's canon basis: The Yamanakas own a flower shop, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouzi are just like their children, and pudding is Ino's favorite food.

If anyone's curious, I wasn't making up the fact that cacti represent endurance.

Next up, it's Shikamaru... how troublesome.

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	6. Chapter 6

Psh. Hey, you three with this story on your alert lists, care to drop a review? It'd be nice to get some feedback from you guys.

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NAME: NARA SHIKAMARU

BIRTHDAY: FIFTH

It was not hard to see that little Shikamaru was genius, taking after his father. He also followed in his father's footsteps in terms of laziness, much to his mother's frustration.

However, for his fifth birthday, he went out of character in order to plan the entire event by himself. His birthday was going to be a bigger celebration than usual, since it also marked his age group's entrance into the ninja academy a week ago.

Invited, of course, were the members of the Akimichi and Yamanaka families, as well as a new boy Shikamaru had met named Kiba, and a girl that Ino seemed to know pretty well, Sakura.

The day before the big event, Shikaku had sat with his son at a Shogi board, discussing plans for the next day. His father asked if there was anyone else Shikamaru wanted to invite.

Four images of lonely people instantly filled the young boy's head. Let in not be said that the genius Nara son was inconsiderate or ignorant. He mentioned the first to his dad, a rather odd-looking (but then again, everything is relative in Konoha) boy, Aburame Shino.

His father made a face, thinking of bugs swarming the city, swarming the enemy. He'd really rather not have that at his son's birthday party.

"The Aburame clan is very prominent one," Shikaku told his son. "I'm sure they're very busy."

Shikamaru shrugged and mentioned another name. Hyuuga Hinata.

White, white eyes, black, black hair, and dark family traditions swam in the vision of Shikaku's mind. A group of angry isolated people. Effortlessly, he wove another excuse for his son.

"The Hyuugas don't go out much, Shikamaru. They like being by themselves."

Shikamaru's response was much the same as his first was, but he added in a lifted eyebrow this time, showing his doubt, and how subsequently mature he was already for his age.

Shikamaru thought of the pale girl, of the yearning look in her eerie eyes when she watched other children play with each other. It seemed to him that she very much didn't like being by herself, but he respected his father and did not argue. Instead, he sent out another name, Uchiha Sasuke.

This time, Shikaku got the chills as he pictured blood red eyes and an eleven-year-old chuunin prodigy.

"Ah, but the Uchihas are the police force of Konoha. They have no time for silly things parties."

Shikamaru gave his father a flat look. "Old man, Sasuke is five."

"They train them young."

Shikamaru sighed, giving up. It was too troublesome.

"Anyone else?"

The boy put a stubby finger to his chin, thinking of new names and faces. Blond hair and blue eyes not belonging to Ino popped into his mind.

He snapped his fingers. "Yeah, Uzumaki Naruto."

He watched, stunned, as his father's visage completely changed. It went from nervous to cold and hard in a second, and Shikamaru was at a loss to why.

There was no excuse offered this time, just, "No. Absolutely not."

"But dad-!"

"I said no!"

There was a panic in Shikaku's eyes and hatred in his tone, and that was the end of that conversation.

The next day, the five children and their respective families piled into the Nara house. There were balloons and flowers (complimentary of Yamanaka flower shop), and cake and lots of laughing. Shikamaru joined in enough (the party was for him, and people would've worried if he looked miserable, which would have been troublesome), but his mind with occupied with the four children who had been refused an invite to the celebration.

It was not hard to see that young Shikamaru was a genius, taking after his father. And so, he could see right through his father's excuses.

And thus, Shikamaru spent his fifth birthday wondering why he was the only one who seemed to notice or care that there were unhappy people out there.

* * *

Canon basis: ...

Nope, I got nothing.

Sasuke is next.

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	7. Chapter 7

Um, hi guys. Ah... I notice that not only did the people who were watching me before not review, but there are new people watching me who didn't care to leave a comment, despite what I requested last chapter. So, look you guys. I'll continue this story no matter what, since reviews should not be the sole motivation for writing, but I'd really appreciate your comments, good or bad, so I can grow as a writer.

Uh, small, unimportant spoiler this chapter.

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NAME: UCHIHA SASUKE

BIRTHDAY: SIXTH

Sasuke found himself waking up with the early morning light, and he jumped out of bed, walking towards the calendar pinned on the wall. His black eyes followed the little red X's that crisscrossed their way down the month of July. His eyes flew open, excitedly. Today was the big day!

He was six, now! He had one more year to master the Sharingan in order to be at his brother's level.

Speaking of Itachi….

"Onii-san!" He had promised, he had promised, Itachi had promised….

"Okaa-san!" Mikoto Uchiha looked up from her coffee as her son bounded down the stairs. "Okaa-san! Have you seen oniI-san? He promised to take me training for the Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Sasuke yipped, excited to start his Katon training.

"He's not here."

Sasuke stared dumbfounded at his father, and Fugaku stared levelly right back.

"What do you mean?"

"Sasuke, dear," his mother cut in. "Itachi is an ANBU now. It's to be expected that he'd get more missions now."

"But… He promised…."

"Oh, darling." His mother embraced him. "I'm sure he'll teach you as soon as he comes back. Now how about some onigiri? I made them special for your birthday."

It wasn't the same without Itachi.

A few days later, the twelve-year-old returned from his mission. Sasuke went to greet him, but there was a wild, dangerous look in his swirling eyes that made Sasuke's heart jump and his feet move of their accord back into the confines of his room.

That night, as he lay in bed, he heard his brother mutter from the other side of the wall that separated their rooms about how foolish some guy called Orochimaru was.

What was happening to his family?

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So, that's the end of angsty times. Up next, Naruto begins the happy birthdays.

Please review.

-Insidiae-


	8. Chapter 8

ZOMG! I haven't updated in like, what? A week? Ehehehe...um... whoops. Sorry. The next part will be out tomorrow as consolation.

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NAME: UZUMAKI NARUTO

BIRTHDAY: SEVENTH

A month into the third year of the academy, the recruits were well into taijutsu and ninjutsu training (genjutsu, decided the hardest by the chuunin teachers who worked there, came later).

The Sandaime came that day. He did it every year, because he loved his village, and his village loved him. He checked on the children, the future of Konoha, to see how they were progressing.

The old man came during recess that year. His wise eyes searched out bright blond hair and vibrant blue eyes, all wrapped up in orange. He found his target playing on the slide with the Inuzuka and Nara boys, the latter who had dragged along the little Akimichi, despite how troublesome it may have been. The other children were obviously keeping the distance, but that didn't seem to trouble the four boys, and the Hokage smiled at the display of comraderie. Then, Naruto looked over at The Third, and blue eyes met gray.

"Old man!"

The Sandaime smiled at the incredibly rude way he was addressed. As he expected, Ebisu came shooting out of the academy building to lecture Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, you must address Hokage-sama as Hokage-sama!"

The seven-year-old rolled his pretty blue eyes as he prepared a rebuttal, but the elderly man cut in first. "It's quite alright, Ebisu. I can take care of myself."

"But Hokage-sama…"

"However, someone who cannot take care of himself is my grandson," he continued, genuinely curious to what the toddler was doing. "Weren't you charge of taking care of Konohamaru?"

"Ko…no...ha…." The blood drained from Ebisu's face as he about-faced, running into the building worriedly screaming, "Konohamaru-sama!"

Naruto burst out laughing.

"Hey, old man!" he said between bouts of giggles. "Thanks for that!"

"Not a problem," the Hokage replied, as the bell signifying the end of recess rang. He watched the children hurry inside with a groan, herded in by Iruka. Soon, he stood alone next to the swing. "Happy birthday, Naruto."

Naruto spent the class ignoring Iruka and imagining what his next great prank would be. He really wanted to get Shikamaru to help just one time, since he was great at thinking things up, but the boy had told him it was too troublesome and that was the end of that. So caught up was he in his dreaming that he failed to hear the dismissal bell ring. Even as the other kids filed out of the room, he remained in his seat, a glazed look in his eyes.

Iruka sighed. He had only had Naruto as a student for a month, but he was well-known by reputation, and Iruka knew that look when he saw it. Though, he had never seen anyone who was _that_ out of it that they didn't even notice everyone else had gone.

"Naruto."

The blond boy didn't make any sign of hearing him. Figures. Iruka rubbed the scarred bridge of his nose. He walked up the stairs to where the boy was sitting, and shook him lightly.

"Come on, Naruto. Time to wake up."

The blond shook his head as he was removed from his day dream, and looked into the eyes of his teacher with dread.

"I-Iruka-sensei!" Iruka continued to stare at him with an annoyed tic in his eye. "Ah, um, er, I was paying attention! Really! Um, I was in a zen mode… it helps me concentrate!"

"Naruto," the chuunin said, annunciating each of the syllables with deliberate emphasis. "Class ended ten minutes ago." As a seventeen-year-old, and the youngest chuunin currently teaching at the academy, his patience was not as high as it should have been.

"Oh. Ahehe…he…" Blue eyes shifted to the side in a nervous look. Iruka sighed again, running a hand through pony-tailed hair.

He stared at the boy inquisitively, almost under a scrutinizing examination. For all intents and purposes, Iruka, like the rest of Konoha, could easily blame Naruto for the deaths of his loved ones. The villagers felt they had every right so….

So he should too, but he couldn't. He saw the way The Third smiled after him, comforted him like a father, they way he had done so with Iruka when he still mourned the loss of his parents years after the attack. He remembered how similar he had been to Naruto after that, a class clown looking for comfort in knowing that other people recognized him.

He could not bring himself to hate him.

"Hey, Naruto…."

"Um, yes Iruka-sensei?" Iruka smiled as he could almost see the gears turning in the blond's head, seeing how he could get out of his ineveitable punishment.

"How'd you like to go out for ramen?"

"But Iruka-sensei, that's not-! Wait, what?"

"Ramen, Naruto. My treat."

"Are you serious?" Blue eyes and pink lips widened as the older man nodded. "Iruka-sensei, you rock!"

Iruka took him to Ichiraku for the first time that night. The small stall gained a loyal customer from that point on, but that night the old man and his barely teenaged daughter were treated to excited talk of a new techniques which would apparently lead to many nosebleeds and blushes should the boy ever manage to master it (at this point, Naruto was turning into a rather unattractive, overwieght slob).

Iruka looked on in horror as his student described the technique, but assured himself that Naruto would never be able to complete it.

As would become habit, the blond polished off his meal within three minutes, and after he was done, he thanked his teacher accordingly.

"Thanks again, Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka smiled.

Naruto beamed back.

It was a happy birthday.

* * *

Happy happy joy joy and all that jazz. Next, Ino teaches Sakura the meaning of flowers on forehead-girl's eighth birthday.

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	9. Chapter 9

Ah! I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! "Tomorrow" she says. Try a week! Ah... my deepest apologies, everyone. I got caught up in work.

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NAME: HARUNO SAKURA

BIRTHDAY: EIGHTH

The kunoichi were picking flowers that day to arrange.

Anko lead the expedition. To be frank, the woman scared the hell out of Sakura, but all the other girls admired her as a strong kunoichi, so Sakura would grin and bear it. The last thing she needed was another reason for the others to dislike her.

Ino, as was expected, was doing fabulously in this area, hopping along cheerfully and expertly picking flowers while telling all the other, pretty, normal girls exactly which each of them meant in the language of flowers, and looking towards the jounin for approval. Anko gave the little blonde something of a proud look, recognizable by the slightly different glint from the usual bloodlust and giddiness in her eyes.

Damn, that lady was scary. What the hell was she doing with a group of eight-year-olds, anyway?

Sakura tried her darndest to ignore the bloodthirsty stare the wild woman never seemed to lose, but it was rather nerve-racking. Mixed in with the cheerful laughter from where Ino and the other girls were, and Sakura was put on the verge of a mental break-down. She stared through long pink bangs (a poor attempt at hiding her forehead), and tripped over rocks and roots obscured by her blocked vision. Her new red dress was rather dirty, and damnit, this was not how she wanted to spend her birthday!

"Hey, forehead."

Green, teary eyes looked up into cool blue, as Sakura looked at Ino, who had addressed her. From her position kneeling on the soft earth, the out-going girl seemed to tower above her. Ino just had that kind of presence.

"What do oyu want, Ino-pig?" she sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes. Shew couldn't let Ino see her her weakness.

Ino frowned. She wasn't very fond of puns on her name. Still, she reminded herself that this was Sakura, and that this was the banter they would always share.

"I just thought I saw more flowers over here," Ino replied lamely, thinking of a poor excuse. "Over there it's too crowded. All the good flowers get taken up real quick."

Sakura stared at the beautiful bouquet her classmate had collected, full of brightly coloured flowers in gorgeous forms.

All the good flowers were taken? Yeah, right.

Sakura just nodded her head in a non-commited manner and returned to pulling out anything that looked like it blossomed from the ground. Most of what she got were weeds.

Ino sighed, running a hand through long blonde hair, before pulling something from her pocket. Sakura faintly noticed the presence of the girl behind her, but didn't think anything of it until warm hands were pulling her hair out of her face and using something to tie it back.

It was a knee-jerk reaction for the pink-haired girl at that point to immediately cover her face. However, the blonde swatted her hands away, and Sakura eye's met the sight of a smirking Ino next to her.

"Hey, dummy. How did you expect to find any good flowers with your hair in the way like that?" Sakura's fingers unconsiously trailed up the side of her head until the found the red ribbon which was holding her hair back. "Oh, you can keep that by them way. I have tons of ribbons at home, and purple really suits me better. Red is more your colour."

Sakura nodded blankly, an moved to stand. However, after the long period of kneeling, her knees failed her, and she would've fallen had strong hands not caught her by her armpits.

"Watch it!" Ino chastised, pointing down to a pretty flower that would've been crushed beneath the pink-haired girl's weight should she have fallen. "You almost killed it."

She bent down and plucked the flower from its place in the earth. "Here," she said, handing it to the girl in her arms. "You found it first."

Sakura blinked owlishly, wondering on what planet she had seen the flower before Ino had, but said nothing and took the plant presented to her. "...What does it mean?"

Ino smiled.

"You're a wonderful friend."

* * *

Took me forever to find a flower that fit. Once again, I'm so sorry this came out so late. No more promises. Oh! And thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. I know I've been kind of a bitch about that, and I want you to know I really do appreciate everything you guys do!

Next up is Kiba... and now, Akamaru.

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	10. Chapter 10

FFN hates me. I am absolutely convinced. I've tried to upload this document so many time! Third day in a row, and it finally works. Hallelujah.

Shame that this chapter is pure crap.

* * *

NAME: INUZUKA KIBA 

BIRTHDAY: NINTH

Kiba was alone on his birthday.

His parents were away on a mission, saddened that they couldn't celebrate their son's birthday (yet again), but unable to refuse the job. Hana was working at the vet, and had left early that morning after kissing her brother on the forehead and offering him an apologetic smile.

A ninja's work was never done, and not even family milestones could interfere.

Before, when he didn"t realize what day it was, he hadn't really cared. But he did understand now.

And it _did_ matter.

So, he huddled with his dog-themed paraphenilia and listened to the low rumble of snores coming from the family guard dogs. The summer heat made him lethargic and the hours seemed to drag on. Eventually, faced with little else to do, he fell asleep.

He awoke to the sound of his doorbell ringing. Rubbing sleepy eyes, he rose from the couch he had been napping upon and answered the door.

"Hello?"

The boy was annoyed to find nobody there, but a sharp sound brought his attention to the small cage sitting on his doorstep. On the door was a note.

_Dear Kiba,_

_We're sorry for not being there today. We  
hope this present makes up for it. Treat  
him well! We've decided to leave naming him  
to you._

_Love,  
Mom and Dad_

_P.S. Happy Birthday._

Kiba stared. He stared at the letter. He stared at the cage. He stared at the sky.

Wow.

With trepidation, he reached towards the door of the cage. Trembling fingers opened the lock-

-And a ball of white fluff came shooting out.

With a giggle, the birthday boy carefully removed the animal from his chest, where it"s claws had latched on. The dog was no bigger than the size of both his fists, which were, at the time, rather small. Around its neck was a red ribbon.

It yipped happily and licked his face.

"A name, huh?" Kiba grinned, staring at the red bow. "A red collar. Hmm. Aki? Akira? Akiha?" He clucked his tongue, frowning at the not-quite-right names, before the theoretical light bulb appeared over his head. "I got it! I'll call you Akamaru!"

Akamaru barked in agreement.

* * *

Aki/aka means red in Japanese. 

Please review!

-Insidiae-


	11. Chapter 11

NAME: HYUUGA HINATA  
BIRTHDAY: TENTH

Oh, this was terribly lonely.

Hinata's eyes strained over the tiny print covering page after page of the book in front of her. She was supposed to learn the basics of Kokugaku philosophy by this time tomorrow by reading through the 300 page monster. She wasn't even sure why she had to know it, why her father thought it was so important - the ideas were pretty much the exact opposite of Hiashi's ideals. Still, her father would be quizzing her tomorrow on her knowledge of the subject, and Hinata really couldn't afford to mess up on this one.

"Kyuujitai... Shinjitai..." she murmured, her fingers tracing lightly over the corresponding kanji. Hinata let out a sigh, her head dropping and hitting the table with a thud. She could say the words a thousand times, but it didn't mean their meaning would stick with her. She couldn't honestly believe she was expected to do this today. Did Hiashi even realize it was his daughter's birthday?

Hinata frowned. It was doubtful.

With another heavy sigh, she closed the book and placed her head on the table once more, letting the smooth wood cool her burning cheek as she stared out the large classroom window. It was recess, and all the other kids were outside, like they should be on such a nice day. Hell, even Iruka had gone out to enjoy the weather, not realizing he was leaving his smallest student to remain alone in a stuffy room as she tried to make sense of incomprehensible middle age philosophy. She gazed outside longingly. Hinata wanted to be where all the other children were.

"...And oh man, it'll be so great!"

Hinata's ears perked with the arrival of another's voice. Apparently, some of the other kids had decided to stay inside as well, and sure enough, a few seconds later a munching Chouji and a bored Shikamaru marched into the room, led by an energetic Naruto.

"Oi, Naruto..." Shikamaru grumbled over the loud munching of his best friend. "What exactly are you planning to do again?"

"Aha!" he responded happily. "I'm glad you asked, Shikamaru! You see, this is my super special prank of amazingness plan! To get back at Iruka-sensei for calling my oiroke no jutsu idea stupid. You see, I'm going to take this buzzer," he paused, holding up the small device. "And put it in this bowl of candy!" He raised the bowl above his head with one hand, and Hinata was able to see wrappers sticking out from the top. "I'll put it on Iruka-sensei's desk, and when he sees it, he'll be unable to resist. But when he sticks his hand in - _bzzzzzt!_"

"Uh-huh," Shikamaru replied drolly, raising an eyebrow. "And how do you expect to not get caught with her in the room?" he said, jabbing a thumb in Hinata's direction.

Her eyes widened. "Huh?" Naruto and she replied simultaneously, before Hinata let out a yelp. She'd been caught! What was she going to do now?

"Heeeeeeeeeeh?!" Naruto continued, obviously shocked. "Oi, Shikamaru, when did she get here?"

"She was here the whole time."

"And you didn't tell me!"

Shikamaru shrugged. "I didn't get the chance. You went off on a tangent."

Naruto pulled a hand over his face, collapsing on the floor. He gave an exasperated look to Shikamaru, before turning it to Hinata. However, when he saw the girl looked like she had had a heart attack, his features softened. "Hmph," he hmphed. "Well, it looks like my super special prank of amazingness plan is ruined. But I don't want to waste all this candy..."

He kicked Chouji before he could make a grab for it.

Sighing overdramatically, Naruto got to his feet and trudged over to where Hinata was sitting stock still, if one ignored the horrible tremble throughout her entire body. Slowly he set the bowl of candy down in front of her. "Hey, ah, Hinata-chan? Sorry about this..." He laughed loosely, rubbing the back of his neck. "Um, you can have this. Don't tell Iruka-sensei, please?"

She nodded dumbly.

Grinning, the blond gave her a thumbs up, before running out of the room, pulling the two other boys with him, most likely to plot his next great prank.

After a few moments, Hinata allowed herself to collapse, her body releasing all the tension it had gained in the last few minutes. After regaining her breath, she tenaciously reached out towards the bowl in front of her, grabbing one of the candies. She disposed of the wrapper and popped the sweet into her mouth, unable to suppress the giggle that escaped her lips.

It was senzai-flavored. Her favorite.

With a smile on her lips and a candy in her mouth, Hinata returned to her reading, breaking the silence of the room by humming "Happy Birthday".


End file.
